April 11: International Louie Louie Day

On April 11, 1935, Richard Berry, singer and songwriter, famous for composing rock ‘n’ roll classic “Louie, Louie,” was born in Louisiana. The song became a huge hit after The Kingsmen recorded it in 1963. Since then, it became so popular that there was a movement in the 1980s to make “Louie, Louie” Washington State’s song.

Of course, that didn’t actually pass, but they did declare a one time statewide “Louie, Louie” Day. Over the years, there’s been quite the push for an annual holiday to celebrate the song. You can check out the Louie Louie Advocacy and Music Appreciation Society (better known as LLAMAS!) for more information.

To celebrate, listen to the song as many times as you can today! I’d suggest starting either with the Kingsmen version or the original one by Richard Berry (both embedded above!), but there are lots of other recordings if you’d rather. On the other hand, if rock ‘n’ roll isn’t really your thing, you have other options. April 11 is also Barbershop Quartet Day!

“Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.

“For the Lord Most High is awesome,
the great King over all the earth.”